Going on a cruise with kids was awful. And frustrating. And exhausting. But then, it was wonderful. And exciting. And so much fun!
I just got back from a 7-day cruise vacation with my husband, my 6-year-old daughter and my 19-month-old daughter. It was quite an experience with a lot of ups and downs!
But ultimately, throughout this vacation, I learned some important things about the dos and don’ts of going on a cruise with kids. So if you are thinking about going on a cruise with kids, read this first!
Hey Mama, if you find my blog posts helpful, would you help support this blog by making product purchases through the links on this page? It will not cost you any extra but the commissions I receive as an Amazon and brand affiliate help to cover the costs of operating this blog so that I can keep it running ad-free. Thank you so much for your support. You are literally the reason this blog was started and the fuel that motivates me to keep it going!
Table of Contents
Taking a Cruise with Kids
I’m going to give you all the best tips about going on a cruise with kids from my own first-time experience while it’s fresh in my mind.
To get my additional exclusive insider tips on taking a cruise with kids, enter your email address at the bottom of the page.
But first, a couple of quick but super helpful recommendations for making the car or plane trip to (or back home from) your ship’s departure port easy on you and fun for the kids.
Prevent Motion Sickness
NOTE: Please speak with a doctor about what is safe for your family for combatting motion sickness. I am not a doctor and the medications and treatments that are safe for my daughter may not be the same as what is safe for your children.
My 6-year-old daughter and I both get motion sickness in the car, so I was worried about the possibility of sea sickness. I asked my daughter’s pediatrician for a recommendation and here are the options she gave me:
MiraLAX (or cheaper off-brand ClearLax)
Surprising as it was to hear, the pediatrician said that clearing out the colon helps reduce motion sickness. So you may want to consider bringing along some MiraLAX just in case.
Children’s Benadryl
Children’s Benedryl helps prevent motion sickness similar to children’s Dramamine. But my daughter’s pediatrician said Benedryl is much safer than Dramamine for kids. So I bought some for the 7-hour car ride to our cruise port and as a precaution for the cruise itself.
Fortunately, nether my daughter nor I experienced any sea sickness! But the Benedryl worked marvelously for preventing my daughter (who usually complains of car sickness within two minutes of getting in the car) from getting car sick.
Coke or Carbonated Water
Unfortunately, I did get pretty car sick on the way to and back home from the port, thanks to having to sit in the back of the car to entertain the kids. I did not want to take any medication for it because I’m still breastfeeding.
However, a bottle of Coke worked wonders for settling my tummy both times! Later into the car ride home, carbonated water also helped.
Bring Distraction Gift Bags
Here’s something super fun my parents used to do when I was a kid. I did this for the car ride home from our cruise with kids and it was a huge hit!
Buy and wrap some small gifts, number them, and put them in a gift bag for each kid. Let them open one gift at a time at certain intervals during the trip for a fun distraction to break up those long rides in the car or on a plane.
I got all my kids’ gift items from the Dollar Tree, but there are many places to find great, affordable items for your kids’ gift bags. Here are some ideas for what to put in your kids’ gift bags:
- Fun Crayola crayons (sparkly, metallic, neon, etc.)
- Fun pens (my kids love these kind of pens that have multiple color choices in one pen)
- Coloring and activity books
- Stickers
- Kids writing/drawing tablet
- Travel-friendly dress-up items (fireman hat, police officer hat, princess hair, animal headband ears)
- Kids camera (a happy alternative to letting them snap a billion pictures with your phone)
- Children’s books about going on vacation (like Peppa Pig’s Cruise Vacation!)
- Fidget toys (a fidget toy pack like this is a super easy way to fill up a few gift bags)
- Travel games (like this game pad or these mini magnetic travel board games)
- Yummy, healthy snacks (my kids love these cookies that are made with whole foods and are a good source of protein)
Read my post on my favorite toddler gifts that are not toys here.
Now, let’s talk about what you need to know and do to have a successfully fun cruise with kids.
Find a Family-Friendly Cruise
We sailed with the MSC cruise line on its “Seashore” ship. Although I have no other cruise experience to compare it to, I would rate it as moderately family-friendly overall.
Kids Club
The Kids Club on MSC Seashore consists of five separate childcare/activities groups. The Baby Club is for ages 0-3; Mini Club is for 3-6; Junior Club is for 7-11; Young Club is for 12-14; and Teen Club is for 15-17.
This is a really nice service to have to give parents a break while the kids are still having fun. The Mini Club my 6-year-old went to a couple of times was available for the majority of the day on most days.
Kids’ activities
The kids club on MSC Seashore also hosts events and activities for kids that families can participate in together, such as a Master Chef at Sea competition, dance party, cupcake decorating event and more.
Kids’ pool & splash pad
MSC Seashore had a kids’ pool area called Pirates Cove that included a wading pool, splash pad and water slides. It was super fun and a great way for kids to be entertained in a safer environment than the deeper pools on the ship.
Kids’ buffet line
The Marketplace Buffet is the primary spot for everyone on the ship to get complimentary meals and snacks during almost all hours of the day or night. The food selection was very good. Some dishes were better than others, but overall, everything was fresh and good quality.
My 6-year-old’s favorite part of the buffet was the kids’ line. The kids buffet counter was shorter than the main buffet counters so that kids could get their own food. It also featured more kid-friendly meal and dessert options.
Snacks
Something we found to be a little confusing and frustrating at first was the lack of snack options on the cruise. While the buffet was open most of the time for meals, it would have been nice to grab a snack on the go for the kids in between meals.
Ultimately, we learned to simply stop by the buffet for a slice of pizza whenever the kids needed a snack.
Smoking
Something we did not like about MSC Seashore was the abundance of outdoor smoking designated areas on the ship. I do not know how this compares to other cruise lines, but we found the amount of smoking aloud on ship to be frustrating. Even inside the ship, some areas smelled of smoke, such as the casino (even when walking around the interior deck on which the casino was located).
Even from our balcony, we usually could smell smoke wafting up from the lounge area on the deck below. I’m not sure what the solution to this is other than trying to find a cruise ship that bans smoking or enforces tighter restrictions on it. It would have helped a lot if the smoking-designated outdoor areas were located only at the back of the ship so that smoke would not blow downwind toward everyone else’s balconies and decks.
Go for a Minimum of 7 Days
Figuring out what to do
We were so glad we decided to book a 7-day cruise with kids instead of our original plan to do 3 or 4 days. Honestly, we spent the first two and a half days just trying to find our way around and explore what all the ship had to offer. It would have been very disappointing to only have one day left to enjoy the cruise after figuring all of that out.
Cruise time and Island time
You are also going to want to have enough time to explore both the on-shore destinations and the ship itself. If you spend an entire day on the beach at one of your destinations, that’s also an entire day that you do not have to use the ship’s facilities. If you go for 7 days, you’ll have enough time to enjoy both.
Get a Balcony Room
View
At first the cruise was frustrating and disappointing as we tried to navigate our way around and figure out what to do with young, whining kids in tow. We were starting to regret taking kids on a cruise.
But every time we entered the room, the sight of an endless expanse of beautiful blue water took my breath away. We had our own private, front row view of one of the most amazing, powerful creations I’ve ever seen.
I cannot emphasize enough how glad I am that we got a room with a balcony. I loved getting up close with the sights and sounds of the amazing ocean every single morning and evening, even our first couple of difficult days aboard ship.
I am pretty sure I’m ruined for any cruise cabin without that balcony view.
Less confinement
Besides the amazing view, having visual and physical access to a private outdoor space helped to mitigate the confinement of the small cabin. Being able to let in some fresh air or dry out swimsuits on our deck was also extremely helpful.
Skip the WiFi Package
Since my husband and I don’t drink, getting the drink and WiFi package was not worth the expense. There were pros and cons to not having Internet access for a week. But overall, I HIGHLY recommend going without.
More focused time together
Not having WiFi meant that my husband and I could not be distracted from the kids or each other by work, texting with people or mindless scrolling.
Read about how screens effect children in this post
It was a unique and highly valuable experience to be completely focused on family interaction and time together. I would gladly go without WiFi again!
Less break time from the kids
The downside to not having Internet on a cruise with kids was the inability to turn on a screen for a fussy child when we were exhausted and needed a break.
Aside from the kids club on board (which was not usable for my toddler due to her separation anxiety), there really were no breaks from the kids. And to be honest, that was really tough at times.
Still, the overall benefits of being basically screen-free for an entire week were worth it.
Pack What You Need
Loose, cool clothing
Being out at sea is humid. Walking around the outdoor areas of the ship or on land that is near the ocean felt like constantly walking through a sauna. The best kind of clothes to wear on a cruise are loose fitting, airy clothing, so pack accordingly.
Fancy clothing
Cruise ships have several opportunities to dress up, so you will want to pack some fancy clothes in varying degrees (and don’t forget the dress shoes to go with!)
Besides the buffet, we had the option to dine at a complimentary sit-down restaurant for dinner and there was a dress code required for entrance. For this, a simple dress with nice shoes will suffice.
Additionally, there was a gala event for meeting the captain and crew which required formal attire. While we were sadly unable to attend the gala, I saw women in sequin cocktail dresses and ballgowns and men in dress pants and shirts, suits and tuxedos.
Swimsuits with good coverage
My husband and I both commented during one of our days on the beach how glad we were that my girls have swimsuits that cover almost their entire upper body (something like this swimsuit). That Island sun is intense and you will burn quickly without proper coverage and/or lots of sunscreen.
Read why you should dress your toddler girl modestly here.
Cash
You will want to have a decent amount of cash with you since some things can only be paid with cash at destination stops. We barely had enough cash to pay for our taxi ride to get back to the cruise ship from the beach at our stop in Costa Maya. I would recommend taking a couple hundred dollars in cash.
Set Limits
Buffet & treats
My husband and I wanted our kids to enjoy their time on the cruise, but we quickly realized that dietary limits are still necessary, even on vacation. It’s okay – and necessary – to limit your kids intake of sugary and junk food while on vacation. Ultimately, they will feel better and have a more enjoyable time if they are getting good nutrition instead of junk food all the time.
We ended up telling our daughter that she could have one dessert after each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) after she ate some protein and a vegetable. She still got to enjoy plenty of fun treats, but she also had some balance in her diet that kept her body and emotions a little more balanced as well.
Activities
It is also okay to set limits on your child’s desire to do fun things if they are not working for other members of the family. Kids need to learn that the trip should be fun for everyone. This means everyone has to compromise sometimes and everyone gets to do what they want sometimes.
For us, it felt like a constant tug-of-war trying to meet the desires of both kids. Sometimes the only answer was to say no to one kid and yes to the other (and then yes to one and no to another later on). Occasionally, much as I disliked it, my husband and I had to split up to each take a kid to do what they wanted.
And as far as the activities my husband and I wanted to do … well, most of those did not happen at all. But that is the nature of going on a cruise with kids. Overall, going on a cruise with kids involves a lot of compromise for everyone.
Rest
It’s important to allow rest as everyone needs. Going on a cruise with kids is exhausting. You will have to miss some fun things at times in order to allow the kids (and yourself!) to have a break now and then. Otherwise you will all end up too tired and cranky to enjoy anything.
Focus on enjoying the things you choose to do and don’t stress over whether or not you check everything off of your list.
Be Safe
Exiting the ship to board land
In terms of safety there were only a couple of concerns I had during our cruise vacation with kids. One was while disembarking the ship at the destinations. As you walk along the boardwalk to get to land (which was a bit of a walk at some ports), there is very little to prevent little ones from wandering to the edge and falling down into the water.
Watch your kids closely and/or hold their hands or carry them while on the boardwalk.
Walking in other countries/islands
My other safety concern was while walking through Costa Maya, our second destination. While the tourist area immediately after arriving on the island seemed safe enough, the areas deeper inside the island that we had to go through to get to the beach were kind of sketchy. Most of that portion was in a taxi, thankfully.
But just be mindful that the destinations you visit while on a cruise may not be as safe as your own neighborhood.
Skip the Tourist Shops
Don’t lose time for more important things
I highly recommend you walk right past the tourist traps that immediately greet you when you step off of the ship at your destination ports.
Spending time in those junky shops will waste valuable time that would be better spent at the beach or on an adventure. You can buy souvenirs other places further away from port. Or, you can grab something on your way back to the ship.
Not authentic
When we stepped off the ship at our second and third destinations, the touristy shops did not really feel authentic and much of the junk they were selling clearly was nothing special.
Once we got deeper into the island, we saw some shops that had a little more culture and seemed more authentic. My husband bought our toddler a cute, handmade dog from one such shop.
Let the Kids Play
Pools
Swim, swim and swim some more! Our cruise had a total of four pools, three of which were open to children. Swimming in different environments is a simple, effective way to have fun!
Beach
Prioritize going to a beach at your cruise’s destinations if applicable for the season and locations. The beach is just about the only thing we did at our first two destinations and the kids played for hours in the sand and water.
When we arrived at our third destination (Cozumel) the day after we had been on the beach all day in Costa Maya, the kids were too tired to spend another day on the beach, so we tried to do some other activities.
Unfortunately, all of the other activities turned out to be too far away for the amount of time we had. We probably would have been better off to plan for another (shorter) beach day.
Kids play areas
Utilize the kids play areas on the ship for an easy good time. MSC Seashore had a few options for kids to play. One was Pirates Cove (as mentioned above). Another was a small area with things to climb and play on located within Pirates Cove. Another was the Kids Club toddler room that could be used whenever childcare was not being offered for toddlers.
And another fun area was the arcade. The arcade, however, was not complimentary. There were also some random fun things around the ship that our kids enjoyed playing in, such as a hot air balloon with a simulated moving scene behind it. And don’t underestimate the excitement of sitting in a port hole!
Is it Even Worth it to Go on a Cruise with Kids?
You know, I asked myself this question many times during our cruise with kids. At the beginning of the week, the answer was always a resounding, “Nope! Never again!“
But, by about halfway through the week, we all started having a lot more fun. By the end of the week, we were all thinking about planning our next cruise. And we were all glad to have had that screen-free, work-free, distraction-free time together.
Was it still challenging to go on a cruise with kids? Absolutely! But was it worth it? Yes, it absolutely was.
If you found this article helpful as you plan your own cruise with kids, please share it with others via the social share buttons below! And don’t forget to enter your email address below to get free access to my exclusive insider tips on taking a cruise with kids!
Leave a Reply